Free World Cup Viewing Party at Hermosa Beach Pier Today

A free viewing party for today's U.S.-Germany World Cup match will be held at the Hermosa Beach Pier, with organizers expecting 3,000-7,000 people.

The ESPN telecast from Recife, Brazil, of the final match in group play for the U.S. and Germany will be shown on a big-screen television in the middle of the pier. The opening kickoff is set for 9 a.m.

The viewing party organized by the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer will include appearances by the team's Star Squad promotional and entertainment  group, mascot Cozmo and Futboleros freestyle soccer performance team.

The U.S. would advance to the round of 16 with a victory or tie. The U.S. would also advance if it loses but Ghana and Portugal either tie or neither team catches the U.S. on goal differential.

"Our goal is to beat Germany and to be first in our group in order to play the second-place finisher of the other group in the round of 16," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "This is really important so we cannot kind of just hope that it goes our way.

"We have to work hard for it. We have to take all the energy in there. The circumstances will be very challenging. It's going to be hot and humid."

The U.S. begins today's play second in the four-team Group G with four points and a plus-one goal differential, based on a 2-1 victory over Ghana June 16 and a 2-2 tie with Portugal Sunday. (A victory is worth three points and a tie one.)

Germany also has four points and a plus-four goal differential. Ghana has one point and a minus-one goal differential. Portugal has one point and a minus-four goal differential.

The Ghana-Portugal match will be played in Brasilia, Brazil, simultaneously with the U.S.-Germany match.

The U.S. has a 15 percent chance of defeating Germany, a 22 percent chance of tying and a 63 percent chance of losing, according to FiveThirtyEight.com, the ESPN-owned website that analyzes data related to politics, economics, science, life and sports. It also gives the U.S. a 75.9 percent chance of advancing.

Germany is second in the rankings compiled by FIFA, soccer's worldwide governing body, the U.S. 13th.

The U.S. is 3-6 against Germany, including losses in both of the previous World Cup matches between the teams. However, the U.S. won, 4-3, in its most recent meeting against Germany, on June 2, 2013. Germany has not lost since then.

The teams have several ties to each other. Klinsmann coached Germany to a third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup and as a player, helped lead Germany to the 1990 World Cup championship. German coach Joachim Low was Klinsmann's assistant on the 2006 World Cup team.

"It's going to be emotional, there's no doubt about it," Klinsmann said. "But I will also enjoy it."

U.S. midfielder Julian Green is the teammate of seven German players on the traditional Bundesliga power Bayern Munich while American defender Fabian Johnson and German midfielder Cristoph Kramer are teammates on Borussia Moncherngladbach in the Bundesliga.

U.S. defenders John Brooks and Timmy Chandler also play in the Bundesliga.

"I think it definitely helps that a lot of our players know the players from the German team," Klinsmann said.

"They can keep (up with) them a little bit better than if they don't know them at all. Hopefully it's an advantage to have those players because they're just familiar with what's coming up."

--City News Service